Seeing Red

From the inside out….
A restaurant review beginning with the end of the night, dining at a comfortable yet chic and trendy spot for a leisurely meal; RED. Huntington Village.
Overall: The restaurant staff was extremely pleasant and welcoming. The food, fresh and prepared extremely well.  I truly look forward to returning soon. And certainly once the seasons change, the outdoor patio would be a great place to enjoy fresh air, camaraderie, a nosh and spirits!
Red Restaurant
417 New York Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 673-0304‎
redrestaurantli.com
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The night air was almost unbearable as we made our way back to the car around the corner from RED. Parking is often a premium in the Village and Saturday night was no exception.
I exited the bathroom, spacious and of course painted red I saw in front of me a wall with wood from wine crates adorning the wall in a neat pattern…I smiled to myself as I enjoyed creative recycling.
Walking back to my table which was one of just a few in the bar area, I walked through the wood floored dining room.  Walls interlaced with brick sections, pictures and sconces.  The dining room was filled with "40/50 somethings" sitting in nice cloth chairs. Tables fresh and crisp with white linens and wire baskets of deliciously baked bread. Everyone seemed to be dressed casually but nice…after all it was Saturday nite☺  The little plate  next to the bread begged for some explanation. In the darkened room and a minimal votive…difficult to make out the brown mix.  Turns out it was eggplant!? The pine nuts that were added to the mix really changed the typically distinctive flavor of eggplant. I asked for oil.
I made my way back to my table situated along the big picture window; I comfortably sat myself down in the highback armed chair and nestled in comfortably My leftovers had been brought to the table wrapped up while I was on my excursion to the bathroom.
I enjoyed every morseful of the dish custom prepared for me by Nino the chef.  He came by to see how  I was enjoying the filet and pasta with the incredible light sauce of mushrooms and Foie gras. The taste was perfection!
A delightful approach to customer service, the chef was called over by our delightful waitress while I was vacillating over the pasta special. In an odd mood where I wasn't craving anything in particular to satisfy my palette, I had difficulty picking something to eat particularly when my default choice of the fish of the day was already sold out. It was only 8pm. The menu did however, have diverse choices and flavors to satisfy any palette. They would even prepare the Pasta as a Main Dish or Appetizer size. Nice.
My dining partner, like me enjoyed a spectacular dish, veal wrapped in a light pastry drizzled with a béchamel sauce. The veal just melted in your mouth. We decided to share appetizers of a very large caesar salad and seared scallops. The salad …always a sure thing, however the romaine was chopped, like from the deli counter. The fresh Parmesan cheese on top however, was a nice adornment.  The scallops …all 3 of them were absolutely divine.  Seared to perfection…we were a little surprised as we struggled to share the last sea urchin that this small dish was $12! Guess we paid for taste.
I enjoyed the wine, switching from my usual choice of cabernet. I saw Malbec on the Wine List.  It brought back a nice visual, sitting outside an Argentine bistro where I was when I tasted that grape for the first time.  I was not disappointed. The wine list was just the right length, amount of choices and price ranges.
As I sat devouring too much bread dipped in oil  my peripheral view afforded me well rounded  insight past the elegant ceiling to floor velvet curtains into the dining room, out the window and even to the bar itself. Stainless steel top, nicely padded bar stools and a friendly crowd. The temperature was perfect on this frigid night, no drafts to be found.  We opted to sit in the bar area as the dining room seemed to be a bit too noisy.
Greeted so pleasantly upon entry into this city type epicurean venue. My appetite  was ready.